News
Reps Unfold Agenda For Nigerians …To Cut Cost Of Governance
L-R:Permanent Secretary, State House, Mr Nebolisa Emordi; former Military Administrator of Kaduna State, Retired Col. Hamid Ali, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and President Muhammadu Buhari, during a meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Monday
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara yesterday said it would implement a legislative agenda aimed at improving the living conditions of Nigerians.
Dogara said this in his presentation of a draft of the legislative agenda of the 8th House of Representatives in Abuja.
The Speaker said the agenda outlined steps and prioritised legislative actions required to achieve set goals and objectives.
According to him, the legislative agenda takes lessons from the experiences of the 7th House of Representatives and seeks to consolidate the gains and achievements thereof.
“The House recognizes that there remains widespread citizens’ distrust of public institutions and government generally.
“It is also recognized that there is a lot of public misconceptions and misperceptions about the functions and contributions of the legislature to Nigeria’s overall socioeconomic and political development.
“Yet, the legislature’s contributions to Nigeria’s democracy remain critical and important.
“The 8th House of Representatives will assert its role in providing leadership in the areas of accountable and transparent government, citizens engagement, as well as constituency representation’’, he said.
Dogara added that the 8th House of Representatives would collaborate with the Senate and other arms of government to legislate for the common good of the Nigerian people.
“Our legislative activities will cover critical spheres of life in Nigeria.
“The House will legislate to achieve reforms in economic development, tackle poverty and unemployment and confront the scourge of corruption and terrorism/security challenge.
“The House will also give priority to legislations to address environmental challenges such as desertification, erosion and pollution.
“The 8th House of Representatives will legislate to cut the cost of running government, reduce wastage and tackle revenue leakages’’, Dogara said.
The speaker stressed that the House would play its part in rescuing the country from hunger, poverty, disease, social, economic, political and infrastructural challenges.
He said “the 8th House of Representatives, as peoples’ parliament, will be sensitive to public demands for transparency and accountability.
“Our legislative actions would therefore seek to build public confidence and trust and be responsive to citizens’ questions regarding the conduct of legislative business.
“The House will work for public good and serve as the institution that defends the rights of the people to an accountable and transparent government.’
Meanwhile, some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) yesterday in Abuja demanded a 60 per cent downward review in the salaries and allowances of National Assembly members.
Other stakeholders, have however, demanded a cut of as much as 90 per cent from the members salaries and allowances as well as the scrapping of allocation for constituency projects.
The CSOs, during a protest at the National Assembly’s gate, said that the demand was important in view of the number of Nigerians living in poverty and the country’s revenue.
The Executive Director, Conscience Nigeria, Mr. Tosin Adeyanju said the CSOs staged the protest because Nigerians were angry about the jumbo pay to lawmakers and appointees despite the country’s economic reality.
Adeyanju said Nigerian lawmakers were the highest paid in the world, adding that “we need this money to develop our infrastructure’’.
“In 2013, the National Assembly allocation and budget was about N50 billion; by 2015, it has astronautically jumped to about N120 billion for just 469 people. Is it justifiable?
“For a country that has over 180 million people, and in a nation that is in economic crises with huge dependence on oil revenue that has dipped by 50 per cent, we need to save Nigeria from imminent collapse or is it that they want this country to turn to another Greece,’’ Adeyanju said.
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to lead by example and to ensure that the number of political appointees was reduced and their wages cut by 60 per cent.
“Political position must be made less attractive so that political assassination can stop and cost of electioneering in the country can reduce,’’ Adeyanju said.
The CSOs listed “Details of remuneration of Nigerian senator’’ in a flier distributed by the protesters.
In the flier, the basic total monthly pay per senator is N29.47 million amounting to N353.76 million $2.18 million) per annum for each senator.
The breakdown of the payment pay put the Basic Salary (BS) at N2,482, 245.50; Hardship allowance (50 per cent of BS) amounts to N1,242,122; Constituency allowance (at 200 per cent of the BS) amounts to N4,968,509 and Newspapers allowance (at 50 per cent of BS) amounts to N1,242,122.70.
The monthly salary also includes; Wardrobe allowance (25 per cent of the BS) which amounts to N521,061.37; Recess allowance (10 per cent of the BS) which amounts to (N248,424.55) and Accommodation allowance (200 per cent of the BS) amounting to N4,968,509.
Others are; Utility allowance of 828,081.83 (30 per cent of BS); Domestic allowance of N1.86 million (70 per cent of BS) and Entertainment allowance of N828,082 (30 per cent of BS).
Others are; Vehicle maintenance allowance of N248,426, (75 per cent of BS); Severance Gratuity allowance of N7.5 million (300 per cent of BS) and Car allowance of N9.9 million (400 per cent of BS).
Adeyanju said the figures were obtained from a research conducted by the organizations, adding that if the lawmakers NASS disagreed, they should come out with their facts.
Also speaking with newsmen, Dr Pregrino Briamah, a co-convener of the protest, Dr. Pregrino Briamah called for 90 per cent downward review of the lawmakers’ salaries and allowances as well as an immediate termination of constituency project allowance.
Briamah said that the CSOs would not wait for the downward review by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), who he said, lacked the credibility to do it.
He said a copy of their letters was already sent to President Buhari.
“We demand that the presidency should commence an immediate termination and investigation of the Directors of RMAFC or a total and radical overhaul of the agency.
“We also demand that there should be 100 per cent transparency and oversight.
